WHY I CAN'T SUPPORT BRACKS' DRUG PLAN

One could be forgiven for thinking the war against drugs, and specifically
heroin, has been lost. The proposed "safe" injecting centres proposed for
Victoria could be seen as final proof.

Before entering Parliament, I was a member of the Victoria Police for more
than 25 years. I have worked in London, Melbourne and throughout Victoria.

I have seen first hand the misery caused by hard drugs. I have dealt with
the victims of heroin abuse and their devastated families, and the dealers
who peddle drugs. I have long been concerned about the concept of "safe"
injecting centres, but remained silent pending the recommendations of the
Drug Policy Expert Committee headed by Dr David Penington.

Having read the interim recommendations, I can see no compelling reasons to
support injecting rooms.

These centres might treat the symptom, but not the root cause, and would, I
believe, create more unsolvable problems.

How would staff distinguish heroin addicts from experimenting opportunists?

Every drug addict and dealer intercepted by police in possession of heroin
near an injecting room could plausibly state he or she was en route to the
centre.

My many years experience as a police officer lead me to the conclusion that
addicts will not travel any distance to a safe injecting centre. They will
continue to die in their homes, in derelict buildings, in laneways and
wherever it is convenient to shoot up.

No government should condone or encourage, even tacitly, the self-injection
of dangerous and illegal narcotics such as heroin. The message sent by such
a strategy is one of endorsement, not condemnation.

Sweden is considered by many to be a liberal society. But it takes a
low-tolerance approach to illegal drug use.

Law enforcement measures have made it difficult to obtain heroin and
cannabis. The byproduct of this is about 500 known heroin addicts from a
population of almost 9million; Australia, by comparison, has between 6000
and 16,000 addicts.

Britain, with three times our population, has half the drug deaths
Australia has and no injecting centres.

A recent newspaper report said 40 heroin traffickers were dealing in broad
daylight in a Melbourne suburb without police intervention. This is where
the government drug strategy should start - making heroin hard to obtain.

An effective policing strategy would drive this overt activity off the
streets, and on-going police attention could be maintained to keep drug
dealers out of public areas.

Rehabilitation and detoxification is terribly inadequate in Victoria.
Magistrates claim they are not able to direct addicts into rehabilitation
because there are no places available. Addicts presenting at detox centres
are being told to return in two weeks because there is no room.

The Bracks Government is to be commended for its overall efforts towards
combating the drug problem, but the "safe" injecting centre component is
flawed and does not have my support under any circumstances.

I will unequivocally support every other initiative. The latest extension
of the police drug diversion scheme is one such initiative.

However, I believe the budget set aside for injecting rooms would be better
spent on increasing rehabilitation programs, and focusing on initiatives to
achieve a meaningful future for younger members of society.